


Sociability, it's hard enough for me

by Equinoxe



Series: I never thought about love when I thought about home [5]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-16 23:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4644387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Equinoxe/pseuds/Equinoxe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the things James dealt with at work everyday, it was quite difficult to fathom, or remember, that there was so much more to a person than what had been written in the file.</p><p>Or five times Q went outside, and one time they went outside <i>together</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sociability, it's hard enough for me

**Author's Note:**

> I've been incredibly busy. But I'll try to write when I can. The prompt was _"No"_. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and enjoy.

  

 

1.

 

Q worked as a private IT consultant, which meant he was a freelancer, which meant he could stay home as much as he liked. And naturally, Q didn’t go outside much. (Bond didn’t know why he thought it was natural.)

 

While Bond was constantly out of the country fighting large-scale crimes, Q was almost always at home. There had never been a time when Bond came back from a mission and Q was not there.

 

So of course when one day Bond entered the empty flat, it was very curious. He waited for twenty minutes before admitting he was worried, and an hour to allow himself to be anxious.

 

By the time Q came back with shopping bags, one hour and forty-six minutes later, James was on the verge of panicking.

 

“Oh, you’re home.” Q greeted, looking mildly surprised. “I didn’t know you would come back today. Should have got you some grapes.” He rambled on as he put the groceries in the fridge and cupboards.

 

“Do you-“ Bond had to clear his throat, “do you normally shop at Waitrose?”

 

One of Q’s eyebrows shot up comically. “What are you trying to say?”

 

“No, I’m not- I’m sorry. I just- didn’t know you actually go grocery shopping.”

 

“Oh, James, James, _James_.” He shook his head. “I do. I go food shopping every Monday and Waitrose is only twenty minutes away.”

 

James blinked.

 

“Do you even know what’s in the neighbourhood?”

 

And blinked again.

 

“Poor dear. You want some tea?”

 

He could only nod.

 

 

 

 

2.

 

What had struck him was not that he didn’t know the neighbourhood (he did have a vague idea about it _thank you_ ) but the fact that he knew so little about Q’s life. With the things he dealt with at work everyday, it was quite difficult to fathom, or remember, that there was so much more to a person than what had been written in the file.

 

Being a secret agent made him look horribly socially-inept sometimes.

 

“’Morning” Q walked out from his room in a dress shirt and a pair of black jeans. He looked ridiculously young yet very professional at the same time.

 

“Why are you giving me that look?” He perked up, not sure what Q was talking about.

 

“That” Q pointed to him from in front of the toaster.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Meet client. Or clients.”

 

“Client?” Bond asked incredulously before he was aware it made him look pleasantly dumb.

 

Q had an amused look on his face. “James, in contrary to whatever you believe, I do have to work to earn money. One can’t simply play Minecraft all day and expect the figure in one’s account to grow can they?”

 

“I guess?”

 

“You didn’t get what I said did you?” Q narrowed his eyes like Bond liked to call it the ‘irritated kitten’ look. So instead of answering, he asked,

 

“What time is your appointment? I’m going central. Want a lift?”

 

 

 

 

3.

 

Q came back home one day with a rucksack full of electronic circuit boards. Bond was baffled, because 1) who the hell came home with almost a hundred circuit boards, and 2) he didn’t even realise Q was out.

 

“Are you all right?” Q frown as soon as he packed all the boards away and got a full look at James.

 

James wanted to lie, but bloods splatters and bruises didn’t seem to want to cooperate. He managed to grunt through the aches. “I’ll be.”

 

Q sighed. One hand came up to touch his forehead and got up.

 

“I’m going to run a hot bath for you. While I’m on it, think about what kind of food you want to have.”  

 

Then he disappeared out of Bond’s peripheral. Bond couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been more careful about coming home looking unsuspicious. The new staffs at medical weren’t half as bad as they used to be. And-

 

“Take these and drink this up.” Q was crouching down next to him on the floor, offering some pills and a glass of water. Bond thanked him and swallowed them down quickly.

 

“Can you get up?” Bond nodded and took a deep breath. Broken rips were such a bitch, not a real threat, yet hurt so fucking much.

 

The younger man gently helped him up and guided him to the bathroom, where it smelled like rosemary. Q undid his buttons and helped him with the belt before made the way out of the room.

 

They ended up quietly eating Chinese afterwards.

 

 

 

 

4.

 

James heard a click and a sound of the front door shutting. He was woken up by that, and he was ready to wreck the intruder.

 

He lied still in his bed listening for any further noise. There was none. And as minutes passed he was becoming more and more convinced that it was his mind playing trick on him. Then he heard it again. The click, the door shutting, and now some foot steps.

 

He wondered if Q was sleeping. Bond hoped Q was. Because-

 

The sound of TV commercials stopped his thoughts. He had to let the breath out. Good that he didn’t overreact his suspicion, and good that it was nothing. He got to his feet and walked towards the noise.

 

“Sorry. Did I wake you up?” Q looked up from the sofa. In front of him was a tray of chicken nuggets and chips. The smell permeated the living room and made his stomach rumble.

 

“More like _your food_ woke me up.” James smiled and sat down next to Q. And after stealing half of Q’s chips, his flatmate complained how he should have known better than buying only one portion, and how James should just go downstairs and buy more himself because the shop was _still_ open.

 

 

 

 

5.

 

Yet again, Bond had a day off on a Saturday. When Q heard about it, he declared it a good day to educate Bond on the importance of classic sci-fi films. Q downloaded 5 of them, frequently shortlisted as some of the best ever in sci-fi genre.

 

Bond could spend his time wiser, but he didn’t want to.

 

Their marathon started off with 2001: A Space Odyssey (An absolute essential Mr. Bond!). It was fascinating to a certain point, and very confusing on more than one aspect. But he liked the background music, he told Q so and Q smiled like he himself had composed those scrolls.

 

The next film was called Alien. Now that was more like his kind of film, Bond thought.

 

“Is it me or this is supposed to be creepy?” Bond asked after one scene that looked scary even to his eyes.

 

“Yeah, it’s some freaky shit. Freaky and awesome.” Q smiled down at the alien chasing one spaceship crew on the screen. The light from the TV created some shadows on his face. And made him look even more good looking.

 

“Now, look at this scene.” Bond’s attention was bought back to the film, and _ew, what the hell was that?_  

 

As alien kept on the hunt, Bond found his focus shifted from the story to the person beside him. A satisfied smile was adorning on Q’s lips. Bond may or may not had a problem, because he thought Q looked dangerous and breathtaking at the same time. He watched Q from the corner of his eye, wondered how those lips would feel like.

 

But of course, _of fucking course_ , Q’s phone had to ring.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Are you joking?”

 

“What the hell did you do? No, stop. I said stop. I’ll be there.”

 

“Yes, I’m in the middle of something. And _of course_ I’ll be there because that is not going to be pretty.”

 

“Ok, see you.”

 

Everything happened rather quickly after Q hung up. Q got his rucksack out of his room and shoved his laptop inside. He walked around fetching this and that. And the next thing Bond knew, he was heading out.

 

“James, I’m really, really sorry. But it’s work emergency. I have to go.” Q said as he put on his shoes. James told him it was fine.

 

“But finish it ok? So when I’m back we could discuss. Hope I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah, I hope.” Bond replied.

 

Bond resumed the film and finished it. Q didn’t come back until three in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

(+1)

 

Bond sat in front of the desk in his room typing away on his laptop. He knew he needed a break in life, but that shouldn’t necessarily mean there were tons of bureaucratic documents to be filled.

 

Q, like a god-sent flatmate he was, decided that was the right time to knock on Bond’s door.

 

“James?”

 

“Come in.” Bond spun his chair around to see Q. He was wearing a jumper over his plaid shirt and skinny jeans. Q stepped inside his room and leaned on the wall.

 

“I was wondering- if you would like to come with me to the Thai restaurant I have discovered recently?”

 

“Yeah sure?” James replied, slightly confused by Q’s unsure demeanour. “Is everything alright?”

 

“Of course, of course everything is!”

 

The way Q’s answer came out a little too fast made Bond even more confused.

 

“Don’t tell me this is another attempt of your apology to that sci-fi thing?” Bond frown when he thought back to when Q cooked him breakfast in the Sunday after and bought him salty microwaveable popcorn though Q hated it last week.

 

“No”

 

Q said petulantly and paused.

 

“I’m asking you on a date, James Bond.”

 

 

(Bond gaped for a good two minutes before he remembered to say yes, he would love to.)

 

 


End file.
